Former British prime minister Boris Johnson extended his ‘wholehearted support’ to Rishi Sunak after the ex finance minister was named leader of the ruling Conservative Party and the new PM. Sunak is the first Asian-origin UK prime minister; his appointment was formally notified after a meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace in London.
“Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on this historic day… this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support,” Johnson – who was linked with a surprise return to 10, Downing Street last week – tweeted.
Johnson’s tweet came as Sunak gave his first speech as the British PM. Johnson paved the way for Sunak after he dropped out of the leadership race Sunday.
Other UK leaders also took to Twitter to extend their best wishes to Sunak.
ngratulations and best wishes to Rishi Sunak on this historic day as he becomes Prime Minister. Now we must unite,” wrote former cabinet minister Priti Patel.
The new UK prime minister, meanwhile, thanked Boris Johnson in his address, and said he would ‘always be grateful’ for his incredible achievements. “I treasure his warmth and generosity of spirit, and I know he would agree that the mandate my party earned in 2019 (when Johnson was elected PM) is not the sole property of any one individual. It is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us.”
Sunak pledged to ‘fix’ errors made by outgoing PM Liz Truss and her administration but warned of ‘difficult decisions’ that would have to be made.
Truss, who resigned last week after just 45 days in office (she beat Sunak in a leadership contest triggered by Johnson’s resignation in July) has also congratulated Sunak, who is the youngest British PM in over 200 years.
“You have my full support,” she said.
